Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish an action plan for organic food and farming.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has today published an Organic Action Plan . Copies have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 26285).

  The action plan sets out important new ways in which the Scottish Executive will support the sustainable development of the organic sector. It takes account of the expert views of the Organics Stakeholder Group, whose formation I announced last September.

  The action plan affirms our belief that Scottish organic products can grow in market penetration so that they can meet at least 70% by value of overall Scottish consumer demand for organic products which can be sourced in Scotland. It also looks forward to a doubling of the area of good quality agricultural land in organic conversion or production.

  To support this growth, the Organic Action Plan sets out important ways in which the Executive will support the organic sector's development. We are consulting on a package of measures including better payment rates for organic conversion, support for capital costs associated with organic conversion, and various ways in which we can offer continuing support for the environmental benefits of organic farming after the initial conversion period. On the marketing side, the action plan includes prioritisation of organic projects for grant assistance and support for the development of Scottish organic branding. We are commissioning ambitious research to help the development of the organic sector. We have accepted the challenge from the bill that the Scottish Executive should report annually on the delivery of its action plan and we will use that opportunity to make sure, year by year, that we are supporting the organic sector as effectively as possible.

Asylum Seekers

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what right to education the children of asylum seekers have.

Cathy Jamieson: Under the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, children of school age, including the children of asylum seekers, have a right to be provided with school education directed to the development of the personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities of each child to their fullest potential.

Asylum Seekers

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was appropriate to include asylum seeker and refugee categories under National Identity in the 2002 Scottish School Census form.

Nicol Stephen: Information on National Identity and Ethnic Background was collected in the School Census through the ScotXED project for the first time in September 2002.

  For the 2003 School Census, asylum seekers and refugees will not be specified by SEED as categories under National Identity. They will be specified separately.

Asylum Seekers

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the children of asylum seekers or their parents/guardians have any right under Scots law to object to being educated in an accommodation centre.

Cathy Jamieson: This would be a matter for the courts to determine in the light of the applicable legislation, once any accommodation centre has been established.

Care of Elderly People

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds have been made available in each year since 1996-97 to East Dunbartonshire Council for the development of respite services and what funds will be made available in each of the next three years

Mr Frank McAveety: All councils in Scotland, including East Dunbartonshire, have received above inflation increases in grant funding in each year of the current spending review, 2001-04. Such increases will continue over the period of the next review. The total revenue grant support for East Dunbartonshire Council over the period in question is set out in the table. From April 2001 this includes resources specifically to expand respite services and we are currently agreeing with the council the outcome measures to be achieved in this area of service delivery. It is for the council to decide how best to use its total grant in order to provide services that meet local needs and priorities, including the provision of short breaks.

  Revenue Grant to East Dunbartonshire Council

  

 

£ million 
  



1996-97 
  

92.424 
  



1997-98 
  

88.135 
  



1998-99 
  

90.690 
  



1999-2000 
  

97.122 
  



2000-01 
  

97.952 
  



2001-02 
  

107.465 
  



2002-03 
  

120.776 
  



2003-04 
  

132.206 (Provisional) 
  



2004-05 
  

139.735 (Provisional) 
  



2005-06 
  

145.280 (Provisional)

Children and Young People

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32411 by Mr Frank McAveety on 15 January 2003, what data it is collecting on all young people with disabilities to identify need; who has been given the responsibility of collecting it, and when it expects to report on the information collected.

Mr Frank McAveety: This is still under consideration by the Executive.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual recurrent grant is for 2002-03 for St Mary's Episcopal School in Dunblane and, if it has not been determined, what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Nicol Stephen: The school’s annual recurrent grant for 2002-03 is £193,106.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it determined the annual grant aid for 2002-03 for Jordanhill School in Glasgow.

Nicol Stephen: Jordanhill School’s annual recurrent grant for 2002-03 was determined on 26 March 2002.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice the Scottish Environment Protection Agency gives local authorities on the classification of land used for industrial purposes.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency does not provide advice to local authorities on the land use classification of industrial sites. This is a matter for the planning authority.

Human Rights

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its second consultation paper on the proposed Scottish Human Rights Commission.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am delighted to be able to announce that the consultation paper, the  Scottish Human Rights Commission  has been published today.

  The Executive's proposals for the establishment of a Scottish Human Rights Commission firmly underline our commitment to human rights and represent a significant development for Scotland. The powers and functions we propose for the commission will give it the potential to make an important contribution to fairness and justice in Scottish society.

  The consultation period will be open until Friday 6 June. I hope that the paper will be widely considered and commented on. The debate will be assisted by the major conference Establishing our Rights, which takes place on Monday 17 February.

Local Government

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish the draft bill on local authority governance.

Peter Peacock: We have today announced the publication of the Local Governance (Scotland) Bill. Copies of the bill have been distributed to MSPs and placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 26293). It is also available on the Scottish Executive website.

Public Appointments

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is intended that appointments of principals of further education colleges will be covered by the Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Bill.

Iain Gray: No. The Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Bill covers non-executive ministerial appointments to non-departmental public bodies in Scotland. Further education colleges are independent corporate bodies under the terms of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992.

School Transport

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue a circular to all local authorities instructing that all future contracts with bus operators for school transport provision must stipulate that seat belts are fitted on all buses carrying children to and from school.

Cathy Jamieson: The law relating to seatbelts on buses is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive will be reissuing its circular on school transport this spring. It will draw attention to the current law and to the safety factors that local authorities should take into account when entering into contracts.

Scottish Executive Staff

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy on equal pay is; when it expects the review of its pay system to be completed, and when it will publish any revised policy as a result.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any gender inequality in terms of pay among its staff.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27237 on 29 July 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Sex Offenders

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many supervised residential accommodation places for sex offenders are available in each local authority area.

Hugh Henry: There are no supervised residential accommodation places specifically designated for the use of sex offenders. Across Scotland there are approximately 100 hostel places funded under the 100% funding arrangements for criminal justice social work for the use of accused on bail or offenders either serving community sentences or on release from custody.

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31831 by Ms Margaret Curran on 13 January 2003, where in the Renfrewshire Council area the 1,033 new homes financed with £42.205 million worth of investment from Communities Scotland have been, or will be, built.

Ms Margaret Curran: Since 1997, Communities Scotland has provided new or refurbished accommodation for social rent or home ownership in the Paisley, Renfrew, Linwood and Johnstone areas of Renfrewshire. Within the Paisley area, investment has been targeted within social inclusion partnership (SIP) areas, Paisley town centre and areas where there has been identified housing need. In Renfrew, Linwood and Johnstone investment has been targeted in SIP areas or where there has been identified housing need for particular client groups.

Young Offenders

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the finding in paragraph 93 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people , that out of a sample of 17 procurator fiscal offices, the number of cases involving an accused aged under the age of 21 on which no proceedings were taken ranged from 1% to17%.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: Variations of outcomes across the country are not necessarily indicative of inconsistency of approach, but instead reflect an appropriate response to local circumstances and offending behaviour, as well as, most importantly, the individual circumstances of each case.

  The aim of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is to continue to provide a high quality service to the public. In pursuit of this aim, the service is currently undergoing a far-reaching programme of reform and renewal. New information systems are being rolled out as part of the modernisation of the service, and these will offer greater opportunity to area procurators fiscal to monitor trends and ensure continued consistency – not standardisation – of practice.

Young People

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to bring forward proposals for juvenile safety orders as piloted by Strathclyde Police in Hamilton during 1999 and 2000.

Hugh Henry: None. Strathclyde Police did not pilot any juvenile safety orders in Hamilton. On 23 October 1997, Strathclyde Police in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council, introduced a Child Safety Initiative within three areas of Hamilton, returning children home who were out unsupervised on the streets at night. The initiative was subsequently extended to all areas of Hamilton.

  It is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables in association with their local authority, to determine whether such measures provide the means to effectively address issues of particular concern in their area. The initiative has not been adopted elsewhere in Scotland.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the windows installed in the MSP block west elevation of the new Parliament building at Holyrood are watertight.

Sir David Steel: Yes.

Scottish Parliament and Business Exchange

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether British Energy has renewed, or has indicated that it intends to renew, its membership of the Scottish Parliament and Business Exchange.

Sir David Steel: This is a matter for British Energy to decide, once they receive a request to renew their subscription.